The effect of supplementing a basal diet with 1 of
3 plant oils on productive efficiency and milk fatty
acid composition was studied in dairy goats. Sixteen
Malagueña goats were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square experiment
with 21-d periods and 4 goats per treatment.
The basal diet comprised 30% alfalfa hay and 70%
pelleted concentrate. Experimental treatments were
control (basal diet without added oil) and the basal
diet supplemented with 48 g/d of high oleic sunflower
oil (HOSFO), regular sunflower oil (RSFO), or linseed
oil (LO). Dry matter intake and body weight were not
affected by treatments. Milk production was higher in
HOSFO treatment and milk fat content was higher in
RSFO and LO treatments, although no differences in
milk energy production or milk renneting properties
were found. The RSFO and LO treatments increased
the proportion of vaccenic acid in milk fat more so than
the HOSFO diet, and rumenic acid followed the same
pattern. The content of trans10-18:1 remained low in
all experimental diets (